A New Chance at Life
by Padsworth Fox
Summary: Jake thought after he lost his job that his life was over, that is until a magical lady with a pet lizard showed up and gave him what he thought he could never get... a second chance PLEASE NOTE I DON'T OWN ANY CHARACTERS EXCEPT JAKE. ALL CHARACTERS COPYRIGHT THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS
1. A New Chance at Life: Frizzle Style

My name is Jake, I have such an amazing story to tell… it wont ever become a best selling book, heck no one would ever believe me if I even tried to tell them.

It all started when I lost my job…. I was down in the dumps and drinking my problems away, or so I thought! I never had been a ladies man, heck I never could even talk to girls till I was 23, so when this older lady in a weird dress with a lizard sat down next to me; I didn't think to look twice at her. "What will it be lady?" the bartender asked. "Just water please, thank you". The woman turned to me and introduced herself as Valerie Frizzle. Why does frizzle ring a bell… and what's with that outrageous outfit? I thought to myself as I shook her hand and likewise introduced myself. I explained with a bit of a slur to Val that I was going through a rough patch in my life and was hoping for a change of scenery soon. She seemed content to listen, and boy was I not used to people wanting to listen to my problems! After about 30 minutes of me jabbering on, Val reached into her pocket and retrieved some paper and a pen, scribbling down a number. She said she had to get home but to call her sometime to talk more… I was flabbergasted! A women actually wanted to give little old me her number? It's probably a fake number I reasoned in my head as I accepted the paper with trembling hands "Thanks!" I replied as I watched her head for the door… I could have sworn I saw that lizard of hers wink at me. Thinking I had too much to drink as it was I paid my tab and stumbled down the street towards home.

THE NEXT DAY

"AH FUCK!" I yelled to no one in particular when I woke up the next day. I must have had too much to drink because not only did I end up sleeping on my kitchen floor, I realized as I awoke, that I had pissed my pants before passing out. This is why I don't drink I thought. The night had been mostly a blur except for meeting that one lady, and then I remembered she had given me her number and I decided after I took a LONG hot shower, and after I was more back to myself, I would call the number for giggles, just to see what crazy business's number she gave me. I took a shower and got in a decent frame of mind by 3pm that day, being it was a weekday I figured that the late afternoon would be a better time to call, figuring if she had a normal job like most people… her work day would be ending soon, and she might be more willing to chat. Of COURSE this was contingent on the idea that she gave me HER number and not the number to the local Loony Bin.

Ring. Ring. Ring… "Hello?" a voice on the other end of the phone said. My heart leapt, it was HER! "um hi, this is uh Jake… the guy from the bar last night" I mumbled still in shock that someone might actually want to talk to me. "Of course! You're the wonderful young man from that bar, we hit it off I think". This is when I started to sweat a bit. Had I been that nice of a person to her last night? I couldn't remember! Thinking quickly I said "I wanted to apologize if I was in any way unruly, I usually don't act like that, hell I usually don't drink!" "you were a bit drunk, yes… but if I wasn't interested in talking to you, I certainly wouldn't have given you my number" after she said that I kind of felt like an ass, I mean, that made sense. "I was hoping maybe we could get together for dinner this weekend, I would love to get to know you a bit better" this was almost too good to be true! She wanted to suddenly have dinner with me? Wow I must have done something right! "Sure" I said "When and where can I pick you up?" I asked "You know where Walkerville Elementary School is? Let's meet there around lets say, 4 pm on Saturday?". "Sure that sounds great Ma'am" So things WERE looking up after all!

On Saturday, I got dressed in my best looking clothes and even styled my hair. I wanted everything to be perfect, I wasn't messing this up! By 4 pm I had arrived at Walkerville Elementary School. The lot was empty except for a small yellow bus parked in the far corner by the gym. I parked near the bus figuring Val would arrive soon. After getting out of my little hatchback, I inspected the bus's exterior a bit and noticed it had a face of sorts, who would build a bus with a face? I wonder if it's somehow related to Ms. Frizzle. I had little time to reflect on such things as I heard something from overhead. "Waaa aaah ah hooo! Good evening!" my mind just went out the window as I saw Valerie Frizzle parachuting down to where I was standing "Do you always make such an entrance?" I asked a bit amused by the way this was starting. "I find it clears one's mind" she said, not quite answering the question. She packed up the parachute and unzipped her suit to reveal a dress almost as crazy as the one she wore the night at the bar. "Wow! Your um, Stunning!" I said, unsure of what else to say. "I hope you don't mind, but I brought Liz along. I hardly go anywhere without her". The same lizard from the other night appeared on Val's shoulder. So that's its name… Cool "it's nice to meet you Liz" I said as I got a bit closer to pet her. "I figured we could do dinner at that little Italian place on the corner" Val seemed to like what I suggested, and it seemed as though Liz approved too. We all got into my car and headed towards the restaurant, engaging in small talk on the ride over. Val explained that she was a teacher at the school and had loved teaching children all her life. I was very impressed by how dedicated she seemed to be with her job and how much she loved working with children. "Gosh, if I had teachers like you when I was in school I might have gotten better grades" she giggled at my honesty, saying that you never knew what the future held. We finally made it to the restaurant and got a table by the window. A waiter came by and got us drinks and took our order. Over dinner we got acquainted better and by the end of the meal I knew that even if the date didn't work out I still wanted to be good friends. After I paid the bill and we headed back towards the school, Ms. Frizzle posed a very interesting question "Do you believe in Witches, the unexplained and magic?" I turned into the school parking lot, shut off the engine and turned to her. "What would you say if I told you that I am a witch of sorts and I have a magical bus that takes me and my students all over the galaxy, so they can learn all about well, EVERYTHING!" I pondered this for a moment and said "If that was the case, A. you would have to prove that to me somehow and B. why would you tell me on the first date? Do you trust me that much with such a secret?"


	2. A New Chance at Life: After the Date

Valerie got a sudden twinkle in her eye as she addressed both questions. "It's time to take chances, make mistakes, get messy!" I had a sudden queasy feeling in my stomach while sitting there, in the school parking lot "My dear Jake, its time for a FIELD TRIP!" Valerie said as we both got out of my car. As Valerie approached the bus I saw when arriving earlier at the school, it seemed to come to life as if it were a living breathing creature stuck in the shell of a school bus. The doors to the bus suddenly opened on their own and Valerie ushered me inside. It looks normal in everyway, if of course you count seatbelts in every bench as normal I thought to myself. I took a seat on the bench behind the driver's seat as Valerie took the wheel and started the bus, all the while Liz stayed upon the shoulder of her mistress. Val took to the main street and everything seemed normal. I pressed for a more in depth answer to my questions, however the Frizz just smiled and I swore gave a wink to Liz "Ok bus, do your stuff!" Valerie said as she pressed a few buttons. I felt an odd feeling in my stomach as I suddenly saw the insides of our ride transform into something resembling a spaceship. The walls, floor, even the windows transformed! It was in that moment I realized several things…. First my clothes had changed, from a nice dress shirt and pants… to a spacesuit, second we were actually moving upwards into the sky, as if we were going to outer space itself. The third and final thing I realized before I passed out from sheer sensory overload was the fact that we were in space and this pair at the controls acted as if this thing happened all the time!

VAL'S POV: I turned around to announce that we had arrived in space, AND why I had chosen to show the young lad the solar system. It was then I noticed that the poor boy had fainted "must have been too much all at once" I said to Liz, who was in the process of checking on our guest. After giving me a thumbs up, I decided that we should head home and that Jake should be put in the guest room until he woke up and overcame the shock of what I was about to reveal to him. Upon arriving back at the house, I parked the bus and carried the still unconscious Jake into the house with Liz following behind. It was a bit of a struggle to get the young man into the house and upstairs into the guest bedroom, but that's the way the cookie crumbles I guess. I no sooner got him into the guest room, when Liz suddenly appeared with a pillow in her claws, as she hopped up onto the bed and sat next to Jake who was still down for the count. "Good idea Liz, keep our guest company while I make a few calls okay?" Liz nodded as I pulled up the covers on Jake and left the room. I wonder if what he told me was true… does he really have no family to speak of… maybe Murph could help me. I thought as I looked through my phone directory. A few button punches and I heard a woman answer. "Murph's Recycling Center, Murph speaking" "hey cousin, its Val, could you pull a few favors for me?" you see, Murph not only was an awesome Recycling guru, but in her spare time did work for the city courthouse and boy did I have a request for her! "I can only get basic information Val, they don't let me handle the big stuff you know" Murph reminded me "I just needed to know if a certain Jacob Padsworth, age 30 had any family to speak of, namely here in town" "I will do my best cousin. Whatever you have going on, I want to hear about over lunch next week. Promise me Val!" "I will Murph, you can count on it! Talk to you soon…. Bye" I hung up the phone and decided to check up on my guest. Jake was still out cold when I checked up on him, but his breathing was almost normal, so he was recovering decent. It was getting late, however I wanted to make one more call before Liz and I went to bed. RING… RING…. RING "Hello? Tennelli Residence, Ralphie speaking" I heard Ralphie say on the other end. "Ralphie, this is Miss Frizzle. Is your mom available?" I could hear his heart stop beating for a few seconds as he was most likely freaking out that his teacher was calling on a Saturday night. "Just a second Miss Frizzle" I heard Ralphie mumble as he called out "MOM, PHONE!" "Dr. Tennelli speaking" "Good evening Dr. its Valerie Frizzle, I was hoping you could make a house call tomorrow morning to my home? I had a date this evening and well, he fainted, he is in my guest room. I want to make sure he is ok before I let him go back home you see" I explained, careful to leave out the part about the trip to outer space. "You had a date this evening?" Dr. Tennelli seemed rather amused and I could hear Ralphie making loud gagging noises within earshot of the phone. "Well Val, I typically don't make calls on a Sunday, but if you don't mind me bringing Ralphie along, as long as he doesn't cause any problems" the last part being directed towards the child in question. I was more then amused by Ralphie's response of "Me? A problem? NEVER!" Dr. Tennelli told me she could arrive around 8am and that Ralphie would most likely be in tow. We said our goodbyes and I went to go check up on Jake one last time before I turned in for the night.

Sunday morning arrived in due time and I awoke at 6am as usual. On my way towards the bathroom for a shower I checked in on Jake and Liz as she insisted on staying glued to this young mans side through the night (I admired her for doing so) he was still asleep it seemed, so I went to take my morning shower and make some coffee for myself. Around 7:30 Liz came down the stairs and joined me as I read the newspaper and had my morning coffee. At 8am sharp I heard my doorbell ring. "Dr. Tennelli, Ralphie, please come in" I said as I greeted them at the door. "Liz? Would you keep Ralphie Company while Dr. Tennelli and I check up on our guest?" Liz immediately jumped into Ralphie's arms and did what I asked of her while I showed Dr. Tennelli to the guest room. "Just between us girls, how did it go?" Dr. Tennelli asked in a high-school first date tone. "It went well" I said, as I explained our date in great detail to Mrs. Tennelli. We arrived at the guest room and Dr. Tennelli excused herself as she went in alone to give her patient a full exam while I waited outside the room. About 15 minutes later Dr. Tennelli emerged and gave a clean bill of health, noting that it would be best we let him wake up on his own, which would be in an hour or so she thought. We both went downstairs and sat at the kitchen table chatting meanwhile Ralphie had challenged Liz to a game of chess (that of which amazed the Dr….. not the fact of Liz being able to play chess, but Ralphie playing a quiet game for once)

After 30 minutes of chatting and drinking coffee, Dr. Tennelli told Ralphie it was time to head home as he had a room to clean. I thanked them for their time and help in the matter and let them out. It was around this time I heard some noise from the guest room.

JAKE'S POV

I awoke in a strange bed in a very strange room. The last thing I remember I was on a spaceship…. I thought to myself. My awaking must have caused quite a commotion because the door opened and Valerie walked in "sleep well?" she asked as she opened the shade to let some light in. "what happened? Last I remember being on the bus, transformed into a spaceship and then next thing I know I wake up here" I sat up confused and still a bit groggy, thinking it was mostly a dream and that I yet again had too much to drink. "Well" Valerie started "You were on my magical school bus…. And yes we were in space….. Your not imagining things and you are defiantly not going crazy! You passed out so Liz and I decided to take you back here… My place and keep an eye on you" I was speechless because no-one had ever been that nice to me aside from my family. "Oh and before I forget, I had one of my students mothers; who is a Doctor stop by and give you a quick checkup" I was floored! "Valerie… you didn't have to go to all that trouble….." "Consider it nothing" she replied with a smile. Being that it was a Sunday, the two of us hung out the rest of the day enjoying each other's company while chatting about life and various other topics. By the end of the day Val drove us back to the school so I could pick up my car and head home. We each said our goodbyes and Valerie insisted we get together soon. I agreed as I had enjoyed myself. I got into my car and headed home, wondering what tomorrow would bring.

VAL'S POV

Over the course of the day I learned so much about this man it was almost as if I suddenly knew him better then I knew myself. We both shared several interests it was as if we were soul mates. For starters we both loved to read and shared love of Shakespeare none the less! The biggest thing we shared in common was a love of science and exploration. He admitted he had always wanted to start a family, but had put work first 90% of the time and therefore never had the time or energy to start one. We touched base on several subjects as childhood and school, and science was a subject we both had done very well in. he was poor in regards to math and history, but overall he seemed to have a decent grasp on the subjects. It got late and I figured it was time for him to get back to his home for the evening. As I drove the bus towards his car still parked at the school, we both agreed that we should get together soon, possibly even next week! We arrived at the school and bid our farewells for the day. As I watched him drive off towards his home I realized that this was no ordinary man, and things could only get better!

Monday morning started like all Mondays do, the birds chirping and the sun shining. By today it seemed that news of my having company over for a day had reached every student in my class. "Good morning class!" I said as I entered the classroom. I had I lighter bounce in my step and Arnold was the first to notice. "Gee Ms. Frizzle; you're in a great mood today!" "According to my research, it seems Ms. Frizzle's date went very well" I could always count on Dorothy Ann to research every subject thoroughly and it seemed my date was her focus today "So, when's the wedding?" "RALPHIE!" the class yelled almost in a fit of giggles. "So class, it seems that Ralphie has already clued you in about my weekend, now how about we talk about everyone else's weekend. Ralphie, lets start with you" Ralphie mumbled something to the effect of video games and chess with Liz. The rest of the class gave similar answers of games and hanging with friends. It was time to start focusing on the days lesson, DIGESTION!


	3. A New Chance at Life: Set In Stone

The class was silent as they opened their textbooks and began to read about the human body. When it seemed clear to me that the class was still having issues with understanding the reading material, I offered up a dozy of a answer "The only way we can learn first hand about the body, it to go inside and explore the body" Arnold seemed to be acting like he was sick "I don't think I like where this is going….." He trailed off "Everyone to the BUS!" I exclaimed. Everyone got aboard the bus except for one red haired, freckled Arnold. "Coming Arnold?" "Actually Mrs. Frizzle I was wondering if I could…. You know….. Stay behind?" The boy asked timidly. "Well I do need a volunteer to stay behind" "Wait… This is too good to be true…..What's the catch?" Arnold asked not so sure he would like the answer. "Meet your substitute teacher!" I said as Liz wearing a wig to look like my hair, jumped into Arnold's arms. *The Frizz bid him good luck and with that the bus transformed and almost disappeared, with a lack of notice from Arnold as he was busy attempting to open a bag of his favorite snack. Mrs. Frizzle then took the class on a trip through the digestive system of Arnold, turning around and backtracking from the large intestine right before the class would have ended up in the toilet…. Although to the Frizz taboo boundaries should always be pushed if it meant learning something useful. As soon as the class returned from their Field trip, it was time to go home.

With the classroom empty Valerie was just about to leave the room, when who should walk in the door, but Valerie's cousin Murph! "Hey Val, I just wanted to drop off that information you asked for. I found it quite sad" "Well Murph I have a plan that will benefit all of us if what I was told is true" Valerie stated giving her cousin a smile. "Oh NO, I am not being a part of your plans, you remember when your mom tried that and it backfired? Unless you can prove to me that this could work, I refuse to give any more help" Murph said, a chill running through her spine recalling the events that took place 20 years prior that almost destroyed the Frizzle clan. Mrs. Frizzle invited her cousin over for dinner that evening and laid out the plan she made. Murph was quite impressed by the thought and care her cousin put into it and could not see any problems with it, even if it backfired there was NO downside for the Frizzle clan and it meant more possibilities in the future that could enable the family to increase their numbers. The cousins agreed to set things up for Saturday afternoon as soon as Val got the ok.*

JAKE'S POV

On Monday I slept until around 3pm being that I was still kind of tired from the previous day's events. I made up my mind that I should make dinner for Val on our next get together as she so graciously opened her home to me the other day when I had fainted. I spent the rest of the afternoon sprucing up my house and decided to call Valerie and pitch my idea for Friday night. Ring. Ring. Ring… "Hello?" Valerie answered It's now or never I thought to myself "Good evening Val, I hope I'm not bothering you… I was wondering if you would be interested in maybe joining me for dinner on Friday Night, My place?" "Sure! That sounds lovely Jake, dear" was the only response I got from Val. After I hung up the phone I checked to see what I had in the pantry to utilize and made a list of ingredients I needed to purchase from the market Friday morning. I settled on making her my world famous lasagna. I was counting down the days until Friday and I couldn't wait! Friday finally arrived and I found myself in the supermarket getting the few ingredients I needed for my lasagna. After purchasing what I needed I went home and got to work on preparing the best lasagna that I had ever made! Val had hinted on the phone earlier in the week that she had some important stuff she wanted to ask me before the night was over and I was nervous as hell to think what she might want to ask me. Our pre-determined time of 5pm arrived and I met her and Liz at the door with a big smile. We exchanged hugs and I invited them in and we sat in the living room chatting while I waited for the lasagna to finish. "So what was this big question you had wanted to ask me Valerie?" "Well Jake you see, as I mentioned the other day while we were together that I was a witch of sorts and while I can do many amazing things….. One thing I can't ever do is have children physically" Valerie started off "Furthermore the one thing I always hoped for was a child of my own" I saw a tear drop from Valerie's face and I just wanted to cry myself, instead I moved closer and gave her and Liz a big hug "Jake….. Have you ever wanted to start over? I mean get another chance at childhood? I know you told me of how awful yours had been". I heard the oven timer beep and excused myself to remove it from the oven. "Dinner has been served!" I exclaimed in my best French accent causing a rash of giggles to ensue from my guests. We sat at the table I set up near the living room and I then addressed the question that had been posed minutes earlier.

"Are you implying you can give me a second childhood?" I asked with a bit of uncertainty. "Not only a second childhood, but a second chance at life! You would be my son and I would show you so many fun things!" Valerie was almost in tears as she exclaimed this that I could tell she had given this a lot of thought. "I just want to know, before I make a decision, why choose me?" I asked. "Because you have something within you that few people in this life have, a desire to unselfishly make others happy without wanting anything in return….. it's a trait that I haven't seen outside my family for years!" "I have made my decision" I slowly said as I finished eating my piece of lasagna. I could see both Valerie and Liz tense up waiting for the answer…. "YES I WILL ACCEPT" I cried and gave both the biggest hug I could muster! I could see Mrs. Frizzle cry tears of joy as she returned the hug and I felt Liz jump on my shoulder and lick my face, showing her approval. I quickly washed the dishes and Valerie explained what I needed to do within a week's time to prepare. " I hope you don't mind, but I had your file pulled from the courthouse records and I noticed that you had no living family or relatives so all you have to do is get your affairs in order and sell your house" Valerie explained furthermore that I would be seeing my new home before the week was out, and she would be reversing my age as soon as I had everything in order. Boy was I stoked! I mean, who gets this chance in their lifetime? I told Val that it wouldn't take too long as I could donate 90% of my things and I knew the guy down the street had been chomping at the bit to buy my house for years…. Sight unseen too! We finished our chat and Valerie excused herself and Liz, stating that there was much to do to prepare. Valerie and Liz bid me goodnight and left to get started. I took a shower and went straight to bed…. I had lots to do in a short amount of time!

VAL'S POV

When Jake said yes my heart felt like it was about to burst out of my body and start dancing because I knew deep down he wanted it. I rushed home and called Murph. "Hey Murph, its Val…. HE SAID YES" I squealed, I heard Murph get more exited by the minute as I relayed in detail the events of the evening. Murph seemed very happy at the prospect of a nephew to spoil and even the bus seemed to honk happily in the garage as if it couldn't wait to help with the ritual. "Are we still planning to do it this next Saturday? Or are we planning sooner?" Murph asked with anticipation "I think sooner Murph, he said he would call me within a few days to tell me how things were going" I explained. We finished our conversation and I went upstairs to the guest room to make it into a little boy's dream bedroom. No sooner had 3 days passed, and I was getting a phone call from Jake via my cell. Being that I was on a field trip at that exact space in time, I excused myself from the rest of the class and quietly took the call in the bus, while the kids were exploring the ocean's floor. "Mrs. Frizzle speaking…. Uh huh….. Really... that's great... uh huh…. Ok, see you soon honey!" as I ended the call I realized that a few of my students were behind me and overheard my half of the conversation, while it didn't tell them anything about who or what I was talking about… Carlos still insisted on attempting to get me to talk about it. "Who was that Mrs. Frizzle? Was it your boyfriend? Can we meet him? Huh? Can we?" "Well Carlos if you and the rest of the class must know, that was my son. He will be heading back here to Walkerville and will be attending our class after being with my Aunt Sarah in the Rocky Mountains for the past year." I told the class hoping they would accept the cover Story; Wanda was a little less then convinced "how come you never mentioned you had a son?" "Well Wanda, you never asked" I replied giggling. The rest of the trip went well, however the students kept asking all sorts of questions. When is he coming? Is he nice? What does he look like? How old is he? Does he like sports? Does he know about the bus? Why was he staying with an Aunt? "Class, you will find out shortly, I promise you" I replied as many groaned wanting the answers now and not being content with waiting.

I contacted Jake that evening and told him that we would start the whole thing the following evening and that I expected him to meet me at the school by 5pm. By 5pm the next day he arrived by foot and waited by the gymnasium as instructed. I arrived via the bus and parked close by "You can still back out if you have any concerns" I stated before ushering him inside the bus. "I'm ready Mrs. Frizzle" he said in a chipper voice "You should start calling me mom honey" I giggled as I said a few spells and then pulled a few levers on the bus's dashboard. A swirling vortex engulfed Jake and a few minutes later a younger boy around the age of 7 emerged. He had bright orange-red hair and looked just like I had imagined him to be "Good work Bus" I said as I praised the bus for doing the hardest part for me. The boy bounded forward and gave me a massive hug, it was then I noticed a wet spot growing on the boy's blue jeans. My gaze downward caused him to look down too and start to cry "I.. I... I didn't mean to" he stuttered amid sobs "its ok Jake, its ok sweetie" I said trying to comfort the boy. I secretly cursed myself for not foreseeing this issue and the bus on instinct started to drive us towards the medical supply store in town. Upon arrival at the medical store I instructed Liz to stay with the boy and the bus while I went in to purchase a few things. I returned a few minutes later to see the boy had calmed down and was hugging Liz with affection. I pulled a lever on the bus and shades appeared on all the windows and one of the seat benches folded flat. I carefully picked up the still wet Jake and set him down on the edge of the bench "Jake, sweetie, I know that it was just an accident but I don't think it's the only accident were probably going to have over the next few days while you adjust" "the boy just started silently sobbing as I pulled him into a hug "until things improve I'm going to put you in a diaper ok?" Jake just nodded between sobs and I helped him get his wet clothes off and a clean diaper on. I held the boy for a few minutes until his crying had stopped and then the bus reverted back to normal and we were off towards his new home!


	4. A New Chance at Life: First Day

As we neared the house, poor Jake got very self conscious about his appearance to the neighbors and I assured him that no-one would look at him differently or even bat an eyelid. "You know what I think? I think those diapers make you even cuter! Don't they Liz?" I said turning my attention towards the lizard sitting on my shoulder who was at this moment looking back towards the seat where Jake now sat scrunched up looking a little more then terrified at how he perceived the world was going to look at things. Liz gave the boy thumbs up as her way of saying he was awesome. The Bus instinctively parked a bit closer to the house this time, and even backed itself in so it was easier and quicker for myself, Liz, and Jake to get to the front door and into the house…. It seemed as though Jake lost all his fear of being modest in terms of his outfit as he gazed up at the house that Bus was backing up to. I watched him with his eyes light up as if he hadn't seen the house before in his life, emitting several gasps, and "Wow" "It's huge!" and other words to describe the home looming before him I bet the house looks like even more of a mansion now that he is pint sized I thought to myself.

The Bus parked and I got out along with Liz and the now yet again self consciences Jake and started to walk towards the front door. Upon unlocking the door I turned to Jake "Are you ready to see your new home?" getting a nod from him and an exuberant "YES" I opened the door and let him inside. To watch his eyes light up with wonder and excitement, I can't describe how it made me feel. He raced inside with Liz and me right behind him. Being that it was getting to be suppertime and we all had a busy day, I called up the local pizza place and had 2 large pizzas delivered. Figuring that Jake's tastes might have changed slightly since the transfiguration, I had the pizza place make up one pizza with just cheese and sausage, and the other pizza a supreme pizza hold the mushrooms as I suddenly remembered his allergy to mushrooms and figured that it still held true. I wonder if anything else has drastically changed, aside from his recent memory of being in this house and his sudden bladder issues…. Maybe Murph can help shed some light on the subject I thought.

Jake was lying on the floor on his stomach playing with Liz while we waited for the delivery guy to show up. Watching the interactions between Jake and Liz, it made me start getting emotional as a few tears escaped. "What's wrong mom?" Jake asked as he noticed the few stray tears escaping and rolling down my face as I smiled "Nothing sweetie, I'm just so happy I can't show any other emotions". Soon after our pizzas arrived and we sat down as a family. I had set the table prior to the pizzas arriving, so all that was left to do was sit down and eat, and eat we did, Liz provided some entertainment during our dinner which had Jake laughing so hard he could barely eat his pizza. I poured another glass of milk for Jake as I wanted to ensure he had enough calcium in his diet for the time being. So far I had seen Jake Happy, Scared, Sad, and Amazed. I wondered what else I could expect from him in such a short amount of time, it seemed as though his emotions could be switched on or off like a light switch much more then the children I was used to teaching in any of my classes. I sent Jake out back with Liz to play while I did the dishes quickly. After about 10 minutes of dishes and cleanup, I felt a light tug on my dress accompanied with an almost silent "mommy?" I turned around to see Jake standing there with Liz atop his head and a pleading look in his eyes as he somewhat pointed to his lower half and shyly asked "could you maybe change me? I think I am about to leak" I smiled and almost practically picked the boy up into a bear hug with a reassuring "of course sweetie lets go get you cleaned up!" Liz jumped from the boy's head to the kitchen floor as I carried Jake upstairs to his new bedroom to get a fresh diaper on him. The lad was right about himself almost leaking as I got him cleaned up. A few puffs of powder and a few giggles later my lil guy found himself in a clean diaper. I was starting to get stronger maternal instincts as I was taking care of Jake's most basic needs and wondered if this was how all new mothers felt. I pushed those thoughts aside for later as I decided that Jake should be allowed to explore the house a bit. I set some ground rules for his explorations as I didn't want him getting hurt "Liz will accompany you around the house while your exploring, but if Liz at anytime starts to try to push you away from something I expect you will listen to her as she knows what's dangerous in the house and I cant let you get hurt….. but above all, HAVE FUN" I told him. I then went downstairs to start grading papers and finish the paperwork that would allow Jake to enter school as my son, and furthermore my class. Being it was a Tuesday night, I had minimal papers to grade, which allowed me to put the finishing touches on Jake's school enrollment form. I had set up a meeting earlier that day with Mr. Ruhle to get everything started and he had agreed that my class would be the best for the boy as he needed to adjust to being in a public school setting. Mr. Ruhle didn't want to rush things however he did wish to meet Jake as soon as possible and hoped that being a frizzle, he would fit right in!

JAKE'S POV

The pizza that mom (I guess that's what I'm supposed to call her? Still feels weird saying that) ordered was delish! I didn't remember pizza tasting that good before, but then again I hadn't eaten much pizza to know what *good* pizza consisted of. After dinner (where Liz provided entertainment) mom guided me and Liz outside to play. I was playing with Liz when I realized that when I stood up, my diaper seemed to sag a bit and the front was very yellow... that's odd, I don't remember needing to go…. Maybe I do need these things more then I thought. I ran/waddled into the house and found mom finishing up the dishes, unsure of how to get mom's attention or how to tell her what I needed, I lightly tugged on the back of her skirt… just enough to get her attention and asked for a change while pointing at my diaper. Mom got the message clear enough and as if I weighed nothing at all; picked me up and carried me upstairs to my new room. As mom carried me in, I had a chance to look around; it was a dark blue colored room with a soccer ball themed border. I saw a small desk in one corner of the room, adjacent to a large walk in closet. In the center of the room was a twin sized bed with sports themed covers on it. I noticed a small bedside table with a lamp on it and some diapering supplies laid out on it as well. As mom carefully placed my on my back atop my new bed, I noticed stars on the ceiling. This was one cool room! I blushed heavily as I realized mom was going to see me naked, but then realized that she put me in this diaper because I had an accident in front of her earlier in the day and that I might as well get used to getting changed. Mom carefully and lovingly got me out of the wet yucky diaper and cleaned me up. She then powdered me, that of which got me giggling because the powder tickled me. I soon found myself in a clean diaper and mom decided to let me do some exploring of the house, but not before making sure that I followed some safety rules and promised to be good. Mom went downstairs to grade some papers which left me and Liz to explore the house. I explored every room except the basement and the attic. I soon realized that living with the Frizz was going to be lots of fun! She had so many cool rooms, I almost got lost while exploring. I liked the music room the best and I noticed a gold record that caught my eye. It had the name 'The Frizzlettes' under it and a small voice in the back of my head was telling me that this music was something I liked in my old life and that's where I had heard the name Frizzle from. I was getting tired and I went downstairs to tell mom goodnight. She insisted on giving me a bath before bed and I was too tired to object. Mom filled up the tub and peeled off my wet diaper before helping me into the tub and letting me wash myself up. It was after the bath that mom revealed that I would be accompanying her to school tomorrow to meet the principal and have my first day of school. Mom helped me get dried off, my teeth brushed and into a clean diaper for bed. As I slowly drifted off towards the land of nod, my mind kept asking me the same question…. Was it really all worth it? Yes, yes it was!

I tossed and turned quite a bit that night as I fretted my first day of school as a 3rd grader again. Would I like my teachers? Would I be accepted by the others? When I woke up the next morning at 6am (Dang teachers get up early!) I noticed something was off almost immediately. I could tell by the way Liz was plugging her nostrils and waving her claws in front of her face that I had done something more then just wet my diaper overnight. "Oh my, did you have a bit of an accident overnight?" mom asked as she came into the room, apparently to get me up as Liz was too incapacitated by my messy diaper to be much use. "I didn't mean to! Honest" I said as I started to cry. Mom of course made light of the situation saying that it was just a small adjustment to be made and it was expected considering the circumstances. Mom hugged me and got me cleaned up in no time. We then went downstairs to eat breakfast and get ready for the first day of school. Mom and Liz had been busy cooking breakfast it seemed as there were pancakes and eggs sitting at the table. "I was unsure of what you wanted for breakfast so I took a guess" Mom said. After a very filling breakfast mom went upstairs to get dressed and suggested I do the same as she was pretty sure I didn't want to go to school in just a diaper. I looked at the options in my new closet and decided on a yellow T-shirt and Blue Jeans.

Before we left for the school mom made sure I had brushed my teeth, combed my hair and overall looked decent before she let me get on the bus. Mom handed me a two different backpacks, one was for my books etc, and the other one was filled with diapers and changing supplies. As we neared the school Mom told me that I would be in her class and that while at school she preferred being referred to as Mrs. Frizzle, but wouldn't get too upset if a few 'mom' slipped out by accident. She also explained that while I was on school grounds, I would see the nurse for any 'needs' that might arise, but if we were on fieldtrips that she or Liz would assist in taking care of things. Mom was wearing a very bizarre outfit today. As we walked into the school I noticed it had clouds and raindrops on it, a clue she said to the day's lesson. "Why are we here so early?" I asked noting it was only 7am. "Well your new principal (my boss) wanted to meet you as well as show you around the school" was the only reply I got as we headed towards the principals office. Mr. Rhule's office was as ordinary as they come, however Mr. Ruhle was not what I expected when I thought 'Principal' he was very warm and inviting as we walked into the office as he offered me a chocolate from his candy dish on the desk and began to explain how delighted he was to have me attend his school. He beckoned us to follow him as we went on a tour of the school. I had to admit it was a very big school and very well thought out in regards to ease of access. He introduced me to the school nurse as he felt I should have a good standing relationship with her as she would be helping me with my 'needs' a lot during the year. I even got to meet all the teachers as it seemed everyone wanted to meet me.

We ended the tour back at his office as he had me sign a couple of papers verifying my enrollment. Mrs. Frizzle then walked me to her classroom as she wanted me to get comfortable with the arrangements before the rest of the students arrived. As the busses pulled in, I got a bit nervous and wet my diaper quite a bit out of fear. One by one students piled into the classroom and started chatting up a storm with each other; the main topic was not as surprising as it was centered on the new kid; ME. As the bell rang I noticed that all the other students were staring at me, waiting for me to introduce myself I assumed. Thankfully I was saved by Mrs. Frizzle who had perfect timing to walk in the door "Good Morning Class" "Good Morning Mrs. Frizzle" they all replied in unison. "I know your all wondering who the young man sitting near my desk is" Mrs. Frizzle started "well class the wait is over! I want you all to meet my one and only son Jake". The room filled up with hellos and other various greetings as I was welcomed into the class. I can't say I ever felt more wanted by a group of strangers. "Now I am more then sure that you all will become friends in due time. However I am also sure that sooner or later you will find out what makes my son quite different then most of you. So to avoid any problems later down the road, I find its best to explain to you so hopefully you all can learn to accept him even more" I tensed up and started to do what most kids who are embarrassed by something do, I was going to tear up and slightly blush AND I was about to use my favorite line from childhood "But MOM! You can't tell them that! It's embarrassing! (Triple combo, mother's around the world…. fear me XD) it seemed as though the other kids got more interested… me and my big mouth! Mrs. Frizzle turned towards me and simply stated "They would start asking questions at some point honey, besides you know how I feel about keeping secrets. Furthermore you may find their more willing to accept you when alls said and done" Mrs. Frizzle again addressed the rest of the class, and it looked like I would be marked for life…. By my own mother none the less! I looked down at the floor in embarrassment and sighed, waiting for it to be said and the name calling to begin. "I know several of you have baby brothers or sisters so this shouldn't seem such a shock, but my son Jake has to wear diapers for medical issues" the name calling never happened and as I looked up from the floor, I didn't see any cruel smiles or anything! "You guys aren't going to make fun of me?" I asked kind of perplexed by what I was reading from the looks on the others faces. "Why would we make fun of something you can't control? Besides we all have needed similar things for wetting the bed" one boy (I think Carlos) said. "Heck" said Arnold "I still wear diapers to bed for bedwetting". "Excellent sharing class" Mrs. Frizzle beamed "Now that that's out of the way, It's time to learn all about water!" "Who can name three forms of water?" Carlos piped up at this and stated "Bottled, Tap, and the kind my dog drinks from the toilet" "CARLOS" the class yelled as most of them rolled their eyes. I was laughing so hard I fell out of my seat. Carlos smiled "At least someone still appreciates good humor". The rest of the day seemed to fly by. At lunch, everyone wanted me to sit by them, and they eventually settled on pushing 2 tables together much to the chagrin of Mr. Ruhle. I had to use the nurse's office twice, once for a wet diaper after the day's math lesson, and then right after lunch as I might have made some of the class jokingly complain about fumes in the hallway.

As I got back to the classroom, I noticed Mrs. Frizzle talking with another woman who looked a lot like her but was dressed down in green overalls and looked like some type of mechanic. Mrs. Frizzle pulled me aside and gave me a quick introduction to the women she referred to as Murph. As the rest of the class filtered in, they all greeted Murph like they were old friends. "You still planned to come by for dinner?" Murph asked Frizzle, who responded with an exuberant "YES". The two of them said last minute goodbyes as Mrs. Frizzle had a class to teach, and Murph had to get back to work. By the end of the school day, my new classmates said their goodbyes and left the room to board the busses, or walk home in some cases. Once the other students left Mrs. Frizzle had me sit on the edge of her desk as she finished up some last minute paperwork and grading, and asked how I enjoyed my first day of school. "It was pretty good" I said "I was sure everyone would make fun of me or treat me differently because of the diapers, but I'm glad everyone was so willing to accept me". Liz hopped up on my arm and started to lick my face, causing me to giggle and almost fall off the desk. I guess Liz was happy to see me and it showed.

I felt a light bit of wetness on my inner leg and realized that I was leaking, not bad mind you, but it was very clear that I had used my diaper to full capacity and that containment failure was inevitable. Mrs. Frizzle noticed the panicked look on my face and told me to follow Liz into the teacher's walk-in closet, the one that she kept all the school supplies in. I slid off her desk with a sight squish and hurried over to the aforementioned closet 10 steps from her desk. As I opened the door and stepped inside I realized 2 things; 1 was the closet was bigger then it looked from the outside, and 2 it seemed to have a changing table on one wall near the back, the same kind you would see in a nursery but sized for someone like me. I got atop it with a mild amount of difficulty and laid down on it with a resounding squish. Mom came in and closed the door and with Liz's help got me cleaned up in no time at all. All three of us heard a knock at the closet door and Mr. Ruhle's voice "I just stopped by to see how the champ's First day was, but if your busy I can come back later" "Not at all Mr. Ruhle we just finished up in here, feel free to come in! Mom replied. I was quite embarrassed because even though I was in a clean diaper, that's all that I was wearing and I didn't want the principal to see me like that! However Mr. Ruhle paid no attention to my current state of dress and just walked over, gave me a high-five and asked me how I was adjusting. Seeing I was in very capable hands, Mrs. Frizzle excused herself to finish the few documents she had left and left me alone with the principal. I told Mr. Ruhle how my day was and how nice everyone was being, and he said he was relieved to hear that as he was afraid of teasing because of the whole diaper thing. I told him it wasn't an issue but if anything happened I promised to let him know. He told me planned on checking up on me every so often and loved to hear how his students were doing. It was about this time that he excused himself as he was supposed to lock the school in a bit, and Mrs. Frizzle reappeared with her purse in hand stating that we were heading out as her paperwork was finished for the day. We said goodbye to Mr. Ruhle and left to head home.


	5. A New Chance at Life: Meet Aunt Murph

It was a short ride home and I think mom was getting annoyed by all the questions I was asking about regarding Murph. She answered every question truthfully regardless of her annoyed appearance speaking the contrary. When we got home mom checked me as soon as we got into the house and seeing that I was fine for a bit, told me I could go outside and play if I wanted before we left to get supper, or I could watch the soap opera on TV that mom and Liz were really into. I decided on watching TV with them and laid with my head on mom's lap facing the TV. To be completely honest, it was a very well written Soap. Partway through the Soap I ended up falling asleep and awoke to mom changing my wet and messy diaper in the living room. I think Liz was trying not to gag from the look of it and it kinda made me giggle thinking about her reactions. Mom then insisted I get more appropriate attire on as we were heading over to see family. I giggled thinking about what people would say if I just went in nothing but diapers. Erasing that thought from my mind, I wiped the sleep from my eyes and walked up towards my room. I found a red shirt and another pair of pants to wear, these were black dress pants I realized and settled on at least trying to look my best for my new extended family; it was the least I could do after all… mom DID get me a bunch of really nice clothes I figured I might as well show them off. Feeling confident on my choices being decent enough for mom's taste, I walked back downstairs to get her final approval. "OH, you look adorable sweetie! Out of everything in your closet I was hoping you would pick those clothes!" mom gushed as she gave me a hug and a peck on the cheek.

I had never had someone seem so overjoyed to see me dress up or hug me like mom was doing at the moment. I looked over at Liz and saw she was sporting a bow-tie-like thing around her neck. I figured this was how Liz got dressed up, despite the fact that she probably didn't need to do anything more then her usual look. "How long are we planning on being at Mrs. Murphy's home?" I asked "only a few hours sweetie" mom replied. "Um, should I take a bag of supplies?" I figured if I had problems noticing when and if I had to go, I might as well be prepared right? "I already packed a bag for the trip! I packed while you were asleep earlier" a few minutes later we got into the bus and were off to Murph's place!

Upon pulling up to Murph's, I immediately recognized the area. It was MY old neighborhood! I must have walked past the house in question a million times, and never seemed to notice. Murph met us as we walked up the driveway. Murph ran up to me and gave me a big hug "hey there kiddo! Long time no see" "hi Mrs. Murphy! How are you tonight?" I asked trying to sound like a proper gentleman. "I'm doing good kiddo. Do me a favor and save the Miss for the Frizz, just call me Murph or aunt Murph if you would" I giggled a bit and filed that information away for later. Aunt Murph invited us inside and despite the almost cramped home Murph had, it felt like a proper home. "I just finished making some Rib Tips, Collared Greens, and for Dessert, Mud Pie!" I must have made a sound that sounded like 'eeeew' after she said Collared Greens because mom and Murph both gave me a mildly dirty look, one which caused me to shrink back into the corner a bit. "That sounds lovely Murph! I always love your cooking" mom said after a minute or two. We all sat down to eat and mom had me sit between her and Murph. The whole time I was eating the two of them were grilling me on how I was I liking school, did I enjoy being a kid again, how was I adjusting at home, and things like that. I wondered how many others in the family knew of what second chance at life Mrs. Frizzle gave me. After being told several times to at least try the greens, I finally gave in and to be honest they were pretty good! After we finished eating, I helped Murph with the dishes. We all retired to the living room and Murph put a cheesy kid's show on, it did its job and I was so enthralled I hardly noticed the adults talking about me.

MRS. FRIZZLE'S POV

I could see Jake was going to be a hard boy to feed as he seemed to be very picky and anything healthy seemed to be an automatic yuck. After several times of my and Murph's prompting, he finally tried the greens… I wondered how he would react when I told him he needed to start eating more leafy greens. After dinner he offered to wash the dishes, and Murph was more the delighted to get some help! We all retired to the living room, I still needed to talk to my cousin but didn't want Jake involved in the discussion because he would want to know what every word we said meant, and I figured most of it would sail right over his head. I indicated with my eyes that a certain boy was getting very sleepy and would probably tune out the rest of the world watching a kid's show. Murph understood what I was trying to say without speaking at all, and turned the TV on to a kid's show, Sonic I think it was called. We started to talk about how he was on his first day at school, how all the students reacted, ad more importantly she and I talked about his sudden loss of control when it came to using the bathroom. Murph said she kind of figured as she noted the diapers when she saw me at the school after lunch, stating that I always seemed to know what to do when it came to kids. She had refrained from saying anything during the first meeting of him as she didn't want to embarrass him. "How are you dealing with all of this? Even dealing with the messy diapers?" Murph asked me. I thought for a minute before I answered Murph. "To be honest it's quite exhausting to have kids, but well worth it! I have never felt happier. And in regards to the diapers, I feel as though we have a special bond because of it, I mean by taking care of his most basic needs it shows that I love him more then I could ever explain." I giggled thinking about how such a stinky job could be so rewarding. "Besides" I started "he looks adorable in diapers, except when he is messy" I said, reminding myself I needed to give Jake a diaper check. It was a wonder how that darn TV kept him so oblivious to the happenings around him, I mean he never noticed me checking the contents of his diaper via his rear waistband. It looked like he was due for a change and Murph offered to change him for me. I let Jake know that his aunt Murph was going to change him and he could keep watching his show while Murph changed him. No response… ah the wonders of TV and children I thought to myself

MURPH'S POV

When I first met Jake in my cousin's class, I was shocked at how he looked so much like a Frizzle; I mean he had the bright orange reddish hair, the tall lankiness, and the personality it seemed. My cousin had wanted to be a mother for so long; I had begun to feel her pain. When she had found Jake by mere accident at a local bar, mind you she isn't the bar kind of person; she made a bold move and hooked up with him. She had on prior occasions when dating men, come to me for advice. She also came to me with ideas and being almost as magical as her, I tended to end up assisting her with quite a bit of magic to help her get what she wanted.

When she found Jake though… she didn't come to me for the usual love spell questions, or the typical desires…. She came to me asking if using magic, she would be able to build a family. I knew that her mother tried something similar years before Valerie was born and the end result was a demon child who almost destroyed the Frizzle clan once and for all. I was skeptical at first as I was screaming 'De Ja Vie' in my head while listening to my cousin outline her plan. I had to admit it looked like a good plan; I just wanted a few reassuring steps and safety points added before I agreed to help. We set on a time and day. I called up Valerie's Brother R.U. and had him get the body disassembling ray ready in the event something went horribly wrong and things got out of control.

Before we made any moves, I checked the man's records and found what I was searching for…. It became clear just how well it could work out for the mom to be! When Jake told my cousin "yes" I felt I had to dig further to reassure myself there was nothing that was amiss, what I found…. Was shocking, this man wanted to be a Frizzle, not for the magic we controlled, and not for the vast wealth we held… but because he wanted a second chance at being a kid. When the man had been fully transformed, Valerie called me up and told me every detail of what happened and while we wondered why his bladder gave out on him so quickly, she and I agreed that it could have been due in part to the sudden change in his body, Val and I talked quite a bit over the next 24 hours after Jake's transformation, things such as potential medical complications that could arise from the sudden age jump, to things like how he would react to school and how the others in Val's class would react to the new student. I convinced Valerie to bring Jake over for dinner when I stopped by the school during lunch hour. Before I went back to work, I was able to be introduced to Jake formally and as a bonus I got to see the rest of the class again!

Dinner was casual, however because of Jake being there my cousin and I couldn't indulge in a few drinks and swap NSFW stories as we typically did when getting together. But it certainly was an interesting night to say the least. After a very interesting supper (kids can be so picky and stubborn) we all retired to the couch in the living room and watched some TV. With the TV on keeping Jake preoccupied, Val and I had a chance to talk about life adjustments with a youngster in the house. Valerie amazed me with how ready she was to take advantage of the chance to start a family. Valerie seemed to have adjusted to the extra body in the house, and it seemed that Jake had adjusted very quickly for a boy his age. Liz seemed to be slow to adjust, but then again she needed more assurance then I when it came to things like this. Seeing the interactions between my cousin and her new son made me truly want to start a family, but realizing that people like Jake were one in a billion, I decided I would instead enjoy my new role as an aunt and vowed to be the best aunt I ever could. Valerie and I agreed that every couple of weeks I would watch him on a weekend, thus giving me more of a chance to see if having a kid was what I truly wanted. My biggest concern with watching Jake on the weekends was getting past the whole concept of changing wet and/or messy diapers…. I had done some babysitting in my youth, but never encountered changing a diaper so it would be an interesting experience. I voiced my concerns to Valerie and she suggested I try changing him while she was there so I could get a feel for it. Valerie checked Jake's Diaper and deciding it needed changing, offered me a chance right then and there, figuring I had nothing to lose at this point I accepted. Valerie walked me through the process while Jake was still enthralled by the TV show that was on. Jake was only wet, so it went fairly quick and he enjoyed the attention it seemed. After that I looked at the clock and it was getting late, so I bid Jake and Valerie a good night and they left for home…. But not before lots of hugs!

JAKE'S POV

I vaguely heard mom say something about me getting my diaper changed by aunt Murph, however I was too entranced by the Television to care. Mom talked aunt Murph through changing my diaper and boy was I glad to get in a dry one! I was almost to the point of leaking according to the quip mom made. After that mom said it was time for us to get home, I was sad to leave so soon, but as mom later told me I would be spending a bit of time with aunt Murph over the next couple of months, so it wasn't too sad. Murph hugged me lots as she had mom, and then we were off! As soon as we got home I stripped down to just a diaper and got my math homework out. It was only 10 questions, so it was easy to do. I then went and brushed my teeth and went to bed.


	6. Murph

JAKE'S POV

I woke up quite early this morning and realized as I looked at the clock, it was 3AM! I had only been asleep for a few hours but felt like I had slept for several days and was well rested. I decided to go downstairs and watch a bit of TV before mom and Liz awoke. Being that the house was very quite and dark, I could hear my own heart beating rapidly as I slowly crept down the stairs towards the living room. As I descended the stairs I realized two things. 1. The stairs creaked a lot, and I mean a lot! And the second thing I realized was that I wasn't the only one up at this hour…. A glow could be seen from the living room, a glow I later realized was the TV on with the sound very low. As I neared the living room I heard a scratching sound, I just about wet myself out of fear before I realized that it was Liz watching TV seeming to be channel surfing with a miniature remote in its claw. Liz realized my presence and gave a claw wave as if saying hi. I sat down on the couch next to Liz and we settled on a Disney show call the 'suite life' I tried very hard to suppress a few giggles at the antics being played out in the show, and in the end I was able to keep them somewhat quite. After that show ended we settled on a nature show and Liz decided to sit on my chest while we watched. When Liz I and were done watching the nature show we both realized the time. It was 5AM! Mom would be up any minute to get her day started.

To attempt to make our early morning antics a bit less upsetting to mom (and I had no desire to find out what mom's punishments were like!), I decided to brew some coffee for mom and Liz set up the toaster. I hoped that mom would appreciate some breakfast in bed, and if she caught on to my morning antics…. I hoped she wouldn't get as mad seeing as I was being nice and stuff. After everything was set up, Liz sat atop my shoulder and I carried a tray upstairs into moms room, being careful not to spill a single drop of coffee, or drop the toast along the way. It seemed she was already awake and reading a book while still lying in bed does she ever sleep? I thought to myself as my presence had pulled her from her reading and she sat there smiling at me. "Good Morning mom, I thought you might like some toast and coffee in bed this morning, I would have made you some eggs and bacon but I didn't want to burn the house down today" I giggled while setting the tray down next to mom.

VALERIE'S POV

I awoke with a start at around 4am. Another nightmare had given me the chills and I hugged the blankets slightly as I took in the surrounding view of my cozy bedroom. Shaking off the bad dream I reached over to the nightstand and picked up my tablet and launched the security camera app on it. You see I never fully trusted that the house was secure until I had a security camera network installed, it watched over everything and gave me piece of mind that everything I held near and dear to my heart were safe. Upon launching the app I noticed that the camera in Jake's room showed a mess of covers on the bed but no Jake! Hearing a slight noise from downstairs I pulled up the living room and kitchen camera and breathed a sigh of relief when I realized that Jake and Liz were snuggling together on the couch watching TV. You can never be TOO carful I suppose I thought as I decided to reach behind my pillow and pull out the book I had been reading bit by bit. Turning on the lamp and settling into my book I hardly noticed how time passed as I suddenly heard the scurrying of a child's feet and a knock at my bedroom door, accompanied by the door slowly opening to reveal Jake and Liz with a tray in their hands. As they came into the room I sat there with a mixed look of excitement and amusement on my face, waiting for them to tell me why they were up this early and why they felt they needed to make me what looked like toast and coffee and bring it to me in bed. "Good Morning mom, I thought you might like some toast and coffee in bed this morning, I would have made you some eggs and bacon but I didn't want to burn the house down today" Jake giggled and set the tray next to me on the bed. I was shocked by the gesture and decided not to say anything about my knowledge of their early morning activities. I motioned for Jake to come closer to me and I pulled him and Liz into the biggest hug I could muster smiling and giving the two several kisses to the head. And you know what? It was the best breakfast I had because it was made with love. 


	7. A New Chance at Life: Late Night Antics

JAKE'S POV

"Okay class" Mrs. Frizzle said "This week we are going to learn all about different cultures and what makes them unique!" "Oh, oh, we can go to China" Wanda exclaimed. "yea" cheered Tim "We can see how each of our nationalities live, I mean we have most of the cultures represented already." "I've always wanted to see where my grandparents lived" Ralphie said "And try the food!" he added. "Splendid Idea Ralphie!" said Mrs. Frizzle. "Because the world is such a BIG place, let's make it a Country a day" Exclaimed the Frizz, while her Earrings and dress glowed if only for a mere second. "OK EVERYONE… TO THE BUS" was the exuberant cry from Mrs. Frizzle. As we all boarded the bus with me at the rear of the line, I noticed mom winked at me as if to say everything would be fine, this being one of my First Real fieldtrips in my current state. "Should I grab my backpack?" I asked mom before I got onto the Bus as I wasn't sure if I would need a change during the fieldtrip and didn't want to slow the class down. "We have that covered, Right Liz?" as Liz nodded while smiling I felt a knot beginning to grow in my stomach and borrowed a line from Arnold "I think I should have stayed home today" getting more worried by the minute on how things would play out when on Fieldtrips. I took a seat in the front of the Bus behind mom and without being asked I put that seatbelt on and closed my eyes tight. "Seatbelts everyone" and "Ok Bus, do your stuff!" was all I heard as I felt the bus shift shapes. "Where are we headed first?" Dorothy-Ann asked. "First stop is England!" mom stated in a very authentic English sounding accent, It was then that I realized the bus had transformed into a plane of sorts and we were flying at what felt like 80 miles an hour. Liz jumped onto my seat wearing a black hat like the palace guards at Buckingham wore, it made me laugh like crazy as I then noticed mom sporting a similar outfit.

We flew past Big Ben and then Over Buckingham Palace as everyone gave "ooohs" and "ahhhs" at the sights below while Dorothy-Ann as it seemed was as usual blurting out facts she read in books almost as if from memory. The bus landed in an open field and with the pull of a lever and the push of a button or two the bus transformed into a Double Decker Bus complete with a set of flags near the mirrors like I had seen when I had seen that documentary on England and travel years prior. "At my old School, we never got to leave the country during school hours" said Phobie. "Can we go on the second floor Mrs. Frizzle?" asked Wanda "Sure" stated mom "The view is spectacular from the second floor" she said with a twinkle in her eye. "Who knew that there were such things as 2 story busses?" exclaimed Ralphie as he climbed the stairs to join his classmates at the top. "Uh… hey Mom? How are we going to work things because I might need a change soon?" I asked mom before I went upstairs. Mom and Liz both pointed to a small door I didn't notice until then, that was near the back of the bus that said 'LOO' on it with a smaller sign underneath that read 'Nappy Station located inside'. "Just let me know and I am sure we can make it as discrete and quick as possible. Liz here can help if you prefer" mom stated while Liz gave me a thumbs up and jokingly pulled out of almost thin air a Gas Mask. I giggled as I joined my new classmates upstairs with mom behind me. The bus seemed to drive itself through the streets for what seemed like almost an hour and I noticed we were heading for Buckingham palace (at least all the signs we were following seemed to lead in that direction). "Alright class lets go back down to the first level and get ready because we are going on a guided tour of Buckingham Palace, it's a great place to understand the culture of England" Mom stated. It was then that I noticed my diaper was feeling like it could fall off me with how heavy it felt. I gave a slight tug on mom's arm as we pulled up to the Palace and mom told the rest of the class to disembark and head towards the entrance gate while she took care of something, the class was in a hushed fit of giggles it seemed as they started to exit the bus with Liz on Arnold's shoulder. Mom ushered me to the back of the bus and as we entered the room I noticed a small table big enough for me to lay on and a small toilet and sink. Mom pulled a diaper out from under the sink cabinet and helped up onto the table. I was glad to get out of that wet diaper as mom got me cleaned up. I noticed as she was changing me that the new diaper had a picture of Big Ben on the taping zone. Mom got me cleaned up in no time and we soon joined the rest of the class at the gate entrance.

"Mrs. Frizzle's 3rd grade class for the guided tour" she stated to the guard at the entrance. The guard let us in and a middle aged woman met us in the front foyer introducing herself as our guide and going over the basic rules of the tour…. All standard rules like 'stay together' and 'please don't touch anything unless we give you permission to'. I must admit it was a VERY big place and I was very impressed with how much we got to see! While we were going through the palace our guide was giving us facts and trivia about the royal family while admitting that we may just get to see the queen herself as she enjoyed engaging with the public that toured her palace. As was usual Carlos was making bad jokes that everyone laughed at, even our guide. Towards the end of the tour I heard a older woman say "Mrs. Frizzle! What a wonderful surprise, its great to see you again!" as I looked towards the voice in question my jaw DROPPED as I and my fellow classmates put the pieces together…. It was the Queen herself! "Why Elizabeth, what a pleasant surprise!, how are Harry and William these days?" everyone was quite flabbergasted as the two talked like old friends. After what seemed like a half hour or so the queen and mom both bade their farewells and the tour ended. As we all piled back onto the bus and pulled away, the only thing the class couldn't stop talking about was how the queen and mom knew each other as if old friends. Tim had been drawing while on the tour as usual and had drawn several pictures of Mrs. Frizzle and the queen (one of which was so detailed and beautiful the queen herself asked to be allowed to keep it and place it up in the palace for all to see, Tim was more then thrilled to receive such praise and kudos from such an important person) we got back to school in record time it was almost as if we had never left.

As we walked back into the classroom I checked the wall clock, we had been gone for only a few hours and we still had the afternoon to do homework. The bell rang signaling lunchtime and we all filed out to go get lunch. After Lunch we started to work on reports of what we learned during our trip and what made England so unique. By the time the bell rang to signal the end of the day, my hand was cramping up from all the writing.


	8. FieldTrip!

JAKE'S POV

A whole week went by since our class trip to England. Over the few days that followed we went to China on Tuesday, Africa on Wednesday, France on Thursday, and Germany on Friday. The Frizz made each and every trip unique, I have to admit I had no idea how she did it and still managed not to lose one of us and still get back to school on time, while nobody was none the wiser...

As we got back from lunch on Friday after our trip from Germany (how ironic they had Bratwurst on the menu in the Cafeteria today) I noticed that mom wasn't around when we walked in and still was not around almost 10 minutes after the bell rang, signaling lunch was over. "hey Jake? Doesn't your mom eat in the classroom?" Arnold asked me as the others gave quizzical glances towards me. "I thought she did" I replied still confused as well. I saw Dorthy Ann open her mouth to suggest something when the loud speaker at the front of the room crackled to life. "Jake Frizzle please report to my office immediately!" I almost shit myself at the prospect of being sent to Mr. Ruhle's office, I had no idea where it even was located to be completely honest, I mean... I had only been there once to meet people and well, I never studied the layout of the building. Everyone started asking me what I had done to deserve such a visit as a young man in his mid 20s walked into the room, glanced at me with a smile and addressed the class "good afternoon! I am sure you are all wondering where your teacher is, but something very important came up and she has to take a few days off to take care of things, until then I will be her replacement. My name is Mr. Thomas" as he finished his statement he looked at me and said "you must be Jake, your mother talks about you quite a bit. You need to head towards the office now though because they are waiting for you kiddo"

As I took the long walk to the office my young mind came up with a billion stories of what happened, each one more childish then the last, until I came up to the door marked 'office' and I walked in. The Principal greeted me with a smile and a hug. We walked into his office and I saw my mother sitting there looking like she had just cried her eyes out for a whole week. My mother came over and hugged me so tight I thought I was going to lose air circulation. "I am sure you are wondering the circumstances as to why you are here young man" Mr Ruhle started. " Your mother received a very saddening phone call over lunchtime, and she has to head out by plane tonight to take care of affairs" it was at this point mom spoke up "Normally I would take you along sweetie, but you have seen more then enough sad things in your existence, the last thing I want is for you to be stuck at a funeral for someone you don't know, it wouldn't be fair to you" it was right then that I put all the pieces together in my head and realized that someone passed away, and from how mom was crying it ether was a very tragic way to go or it was someone very close to her I never had the pleasure of meeting.

"So then it's just me and Liz at home for a few days?" I asked. "No Sweetie" was Mom's reply "Keesha's Grandmother and I spoke already and Keesha will be staying with you, she has babysat quite a few kids with a few overnights"

VAL'S POV

I had just finished up lunch and was about to grade a few papers before the kids came back from lunch when my desk phone rang "Hello? Mrs. Valerie Frizzle speaking" what I was told over the course of the next 2 minutes made my heart shatter into a million pieces, like a balloon subjected to Dry Ice and then the concrete... My uncle had died very suddenly in a car crash, and he had named me his emergency contact and gave me POA. I quickly walked to the office, tears streaming the whole way. "Val!? Whats wrong?" Mr. Rhule questioned upon my barging into his office (very unlike me, I assure you) so as i relayed the tale I saw Mr. Ruhles start to cry a bit himself as I would tell him stories about my family and he always enjoyed my families antics. I heard the bell ring, indicating that lunch was over right after I finished telling my boss what I was going through. Mr Rhule composed himself and then finally spoke "Val, you can take any and all time you need. your a great teacher and a great mother, what can I do to make your life easier right now?""While a few days off would be wonderful... who can watch Jake while I am gone? Jake never met this uncle and I know it would be boring as heck for him, with me having to set up everything legal wise. Besides, he shouldn't be missing school for a funeral for someone he doesn't know"

Mr. Rhule made several suggestions and over the next few minutes I had placed several calls and had set up a babysitter for Jake, although I doubt he would agree with who was going to be watching him... Mr. Rhule called a sub in to replace me and then made an announcement over the PA for my son to come to the office. When Jake got to the office I had tried to regain my composure. "So then it's just me and Liz at home for a few days?" Jake asked. "No Sweetie" I replied "Keesha's Grandmother and I spoke already and Keesha will be staying with you, she has babysat quite a few kids with a few overnights" I saw his jaw drop in disbelief as i told him this. "But Mooom! I am old enough to take care of myself..." Jake whined. "Can you change yourself? I know you can make yourself food sweetie, but what about getting from home to school?" I countered. I saw him sheepishly stare at the floor, knowing I had him there. after a few more minutes finalizing a few things with my boss, we were heading home. After quite a bit of packing I had Jake help me load everything into Bus and I made him promise to mind his manners and be helpful. One last check of supplies, and a very messy diaper change complements of Jake, and I was ready to head off. I gave him some last minute instructions, left 200 dollars in cash on the kitchen counter for any unexpected expenses and for food while I was gone. I gave Jake a goodbye hug and kiss and transformed the bus into a plane, and took off.

JAKE'S POV

Mom had given me the equivalent of a death sentence, I mean really? My classmate babysitting me? A fellow classmate changing my dirty diapers? I understood the circumstances behind this move I just didn't think I could make it through without dying of embarrassment. As Bus drove us home I tried to talk her into letting me stay by myself, i mean how hard could it be to change myself and walk to school every morning? besides it was the weekend, that meant no school, no pants, no problems in my mind. Mom said everything was already set and made me promise to be good. after one last diaper change and a hug and kiss goodbye she left with Bus and Liz, having turned the bus into an airplane and took off. I was alone with my thoughts for about an hour before Keesha and her Grandmother showed up in a minivan. Keesha hopped out of the minivan and gave her Grandmother a kiss, then proceeded up the driveway to where i was sitting and gave me a super big friendly hug.

"We are gonna have SO much fun" Keesha exclaimed "woo hoo" i sarcastically replied. Keeha gave me her patented 'we're gonna have so much fun and your gonna enjoy it or else' look. We walked into the house and as we kicked off our shoes, I showed her around the house. She loved the library we had in one room and I gotta admit, Dorthy Ann could have probably spent her entire life in there and still not read every single book, it is that massive and impressive. After I showed Keesha the house, we collapsed in the living room and decided to watch some TV, after a show or two i suggested we order a medium pizza from the local pizza place. Keesha and I fought over what toppings should be on it, and after much deliberation decided on half mushroom and half peperoni. Keesha then walked into the kitchen and ordered the pizza.


	9. The World and a Babysitter

Keesha's POV  
After much disscusion, Jake and I FINALLY came to an agreement on toppings…. I never knew he was so picky food wise, I mean…. He doesn't like salads, veggies are out of the question for the most part….. What will he eat? I wondered how Mrs. Frizzle handled it so well. " I am going to order the pizza" I told Jake. He nodded his head to show he was paying attention and I headed to the kitchen to order the pizza via phone. After I hung up with the pizza place I went back to the living room to check up on Jake and watch some TV until the pizza arrived.  
As soon as we settled on a cartoon the doorbell rang. Jake got up and went to get the door as he grabbed the money on the way out of the living room. Jake brought the pizza into the room and set it on the coffee table between the couch and TV. The two of us sat and ate pizza while watching several cartoons. I think I lost track of time because before I knew it bedtime had arrived. I noticed Jake was getting tired and I was getting quite tired myself. I figured it was time for the two of us to get some sleep, but first someone was in dire need of a change…..

Jake's POV  
The doorbell rang and I went to get our pizza that Keesha ordered for us. I paid for the pizza and gave a reasonable tip to the delivery driver as I knew from experience how important it was to tip when getting food delivered. I walked back into the living room and set the pizza on the coffee table between the couch and the TV. "What do you wanna watch now Keesha?" I asked as I picked out a slice of pizza and started to nibble on it "How do you feel about that new Samurai Pizza cats TV show? That one about cats who save the world?" Keesha asked me with pleading eyes. "Sure! I haven't seen that but it sounds pretty cool…." I said knowing I should try and be fair as she did watch one of my favorite cartoons with me and I kind of sensed she wasn't really interested in it as much as I had been. We watched several more cartoons with me letting her pick, I really wasn't picky on what I watched, as long as it was something different and cartoon like I could care less. I was starting to drift and I caught Keesha looking at my drifting state of consciousness from out of the corner of my eye. " Its getting late Jake, I am sure your in need of a change, I can smell you from here!" Keesha stated. I kind of had to agree with her on that, I mean I was in need of a change and I figured I probably needed to take a bath too. Keesha dragged me up to my room and insisted I start getting my things together for a bath while she went to draw a warm bath for me. I thanked her for being so nice and she just rolled her eyes while saying she was getting paid to watch me so it was kind of expected of her. She giggled a bit at that and went to go start the bath for me as I removed my outer layer of clothing and grabbed what I thought I would need. A few minutes later Keesha reappeared. "your bath is ready when you are, stinky" she joked as she came into the room and helped me up onto the small changing table that mom kept in my room. "That was a cheap shot!" I whined while Keesha removed my dirty diaper and cleaned me up. "I just call them as I see them" Keesha replied giggling not once getting grossed out in the slightest as I on the other hand was beet red the entire time Keesha was changing me. Once I was clean enough for Keesha's standards she helped me off the table and I headed off towards the bath citing that I was old enough I could at the very least bathe myself.  
About 15 minutes later I was as clean as a whistle and after draining the tub walked back to my room with a towel around my waist. Upon entering my room I noticed Keesha had already taken a shower (in I assume mom's master bath) and was dressed in her PJ'S. she patted the top of the changing table and I assumed the position as I figured was expected of me. After getting diapered and helped in my PJ'S Keesha and I decided to roll out the sleeping bags in the living room. We checked all the doors and windows to make sure nothing had been left open and crawled into our respective sleeping bags and went to bed.

Keesha's POV  
As soon as I got Jake cleaned up and ready for his bath I went off to use the shower in Mrs. Frizzle's room. I got done with my shower and in my PJ'S long before Jake was done with his bath, as soon as Jake was done with his bath he headed back to his room where I greeted him and got him ready for bed, feeling exhausted myself and ready to hit the hay as they say. We checked all the doors and windows as I was a bit paranoid about that sort of thing and we decided to sleep out In the living room. "Night Jake" I said and before I knew it it was morning. I guess I got a good nights rest because as soon as I woke up I felt like a million bucks! "Jake…. Oh Jake…planning on getting up?" I teased a bit nudging him slightly attempting to wake him…. To no avail however so I let him sleep and ventured into the kitchen to see what I could do about breakfast. I found cereal I the pantry and also found some frozen microwave pancakes. I microwaved some of the pancakes and sat down at the kitchen table with some syrup. As soon as I started to eat I saw Jake groggily walk into the kitchen. "Morning Keesha, sleep well?" Jake asked, not fully awake yet but trying to wake up anyway. "slept great actually! Let me guess you slept like a baby?" I giggled knowing it was a cheap shot but taking aim anyway. " it's too early for bad jokes" Jake whined slightly but still smiling a bit. "There are some pancakes left in the freezer unless you wanted the Cereal in the pantry" I stated waiting for his mind to process what I just told him. He opted for pancakes as well and heated a plate of them up and joined me. As soon as he started to eat he just began going to town on those pancakes like he had never eaten in his life "Wow that's the fastest I have seen anyone eat" I commented as I slowly finished my breakfast and went to wash off my plate at the sink.  
After we finished breakfast i changed Jake. he insisted that he should go without pants because it was just us and he didn't think we would be going anywhere until lunchtime, his argument for no pants was strong... so i let him win this time and we settled on watching Cartoons. Jake was sweet enough to let me pick the shows so i tried to return the favor by picking shows that both of us would like. Around 9:30 in the morning i heard a knock at the door, figuring nobody was supposed to be stopping by i looked over at Jake questionably as if to say 'You expecting anyone today?' He gave me the look that confirmed my suspicion that nobody was expected to stop by the house. I looked out the side window that faced towards the front porch and saw a some of our classmates standing outside. i Verbally confirmed this and Jake almost went into a full blown panic rushing to get upstairs without being seen through any windows so he could procure pants.

Jake's POV  
i woke up to a wondrous smell of what i assumed was cake of some sort, i slowly realized that it was pancakes and maple syrup that i had been smelling. i groggily walked into the kitchen and realized that Keesha had been up for a while and had made pancakes. At first i thought that Keesha had made them from scratch, but soon realized that would be a far stretch for a kid in this day and age. the Eggo box on the counter confirmed this fact "Morning Keesha, sleep well?" i asked still not fully awake..."slept great actually! Let me guess you slept like a baby?" she giggled. she was having too much fun with the baby jokes, but i didn't mind, i would have made the same jokes myself regardless. "it's too early for bad jokes" I whined, grinning a bit for letting her take another shot in my not fully awake state. Keesha confirmed that there were still pancakes left and I opted for the pancakes. As soon as I started to eat the smell was overwhelming and i just downed the pancakes... i shouldn't have been that rude and i know that i probably Keesha was wondering if i even tasted the food that i ingested during those few minutes. "Wow that's the fastest I have seen anyone eat" Keesha commented as she slowly eating and went to wash off her plate at the sink.  
"You up for watching cartoons?" i asked trying to put on my innicent but adorable face for dramatic effect. Keesha agreed and i let her choose the shows. the doorbell rang and keesha looked over at me questionably as if to say You expecting anyone today? i gave Keesha the look that confirmed her suspicion that i did not know of anyone that was to be stopping by the house. Keesha peered out one of the windows that faced towards the porch and told me it looked like some classmates stopped by. I flew into a tizzy and rushed upstairs to get some clothes on over my diaper clad body. I heard Keesha open the door and invite our classmates in. "What a awesome looking house!" i heard Carlos exclaim "who knew Ms. Frizzle lived in such a large and interesting home" Dorthey Ann said "What's it like to babysit someone your own age?" i heard Wanda tease "Watching Jake is easier then when i babysat those twins on Spruce St, and they were a HANDFUL!" Keesha said all dramatic like. By this time i had located a pair of pants that would fit and a decent shirt to match and had done a visual once-over to ensure everything was in place clothing wise and almost leaped down the steps to greet my friends "HI EVERYONE!" i exclaimed spooking Keesha so bad i wondered if she might need a change of clothes... i kept that thought to myself though and said hi to everyone. " what smells so good?" Arnold asked "You mean aside from baby powder?" Keesha joked making me blush a bit. "Never-mind that... we were wondering if you two wanted to join us for a game of hide and seek?" Wanda asked. "Sure! let me grab a few things first, where were you thinking?" Keesha said, speaking for both of us "you know the park at the end of the Neighborhood?" Ralphie asked "that's where we figured we could play for a while"


	10. A Family Secret and Fear

Meanwhile in a city far from Walkerville...

VAL'S POV

I had just left my kid in the care of one of my students, (the same age as Jake mind you)... I guess I could be called a lousy parent by some, but there wasn't really another option. I wanted another family member to help out but I couldn't find anyone who wasn't already heading to the Funeral themselves that I felt that I could trust to care for Jake. I knew the Keesha loved to babysit and Liz was coming with me to help out as it was. Maybe I should check on those two I thought. I switched on the camera system that was in the house and used my IPAD to log into the network. Keesha and Jake had ordered pizza it seems just like I figured and were curled up on the couch watching TV Safe and sound... why did I even worry? those two will be fine! I thought to myself as I looked at Liz perched on my Shoulder. I logged out of the network and looked at the desk that I was working on cleaning out. "You know Liz, Uncle Thomas would have loved to have spent a weekend with us in Walkerville, getting to know Jake and bonding with the rest of the family..." "He was so busy with his work, no time for being with family" I continued to clean out his belongings at his desk in an office, in the basement of a Victorian style house; wondering why I hadn't spent more time with the man.

I woke up to the sound of Birds chirping in the wee hours of the morning. TODAY was the day... the Day that I had dreaded. The day we laid my uncle to rest. I had spent the very minute I got into town talking with the people that had responded to the crash and learned more about what happened. After I got all the facts I drove Bus to the house my uncle lived in and finalized the funeral arrangements with the funeral director. Things moved fast... And for good reason, we wanted our time to reflect on uncle Thomas but we needed to put him and his secretive life to rest as was proper. His work involved so many sensitive government things that I think he hardly understood half of what HE was working on. This gathering of family had to be done without magic of any kind as we couldn't risk those that hunted us to know that a whole bunch of us magic users had gathered. THIS was my FEAR. Lose of a mind to which no magic could ever bring back to life. Only a true Magic user such as myself and those in the magical realms could understand.. Magic can reverse aging, Protect a life, but it could NEVER EVER bring someone back from the dead... Sure the magic to do such a thing EXISTED but that was a DARK DARK magic, that of which no witch or wizard with a good heart would ever try. over the course of many years I had heard whispering of a Dark Lord who's name was considered a unspeakable name, one that drove fear into the hearts of the magic community as a whole... I had never encountered such a Dark wizard as such yet and hoped never to meet them. I had fears about taking the class to England for that very reason... A Dark wizard...

I checked my IPAD and after confirming Jake and Keesha where OK, I got dressed for the funeral and meal that was to follow. A plain black dress was all I could muster to put on. Black was what most people wore to a funeral right? its not what I would have wanted to wear but it was proper for this. Fast forward 8 hours... The funeral was a standard one and 90 percent of those that knew my uncle came. 240 people in total came from all parts of the world, I felt like my uncle would have approved of it all. The meal that followed was very basic but filling enough as we all shared stories of our beloved. I had a few more things to finish as the day wore on and enlisted the help of several others to finish the task. The house would be sold to another wizard family, at least I hoped so... It was a safe haven, protected by quite a bit of magic... one I had spent some time in when I was but a child. I slept in Bus for yet another night as I could not stand to sleep in the house.

I woke up to Liz jumping on my chest trying to get me up as my phone was going off. "Mrs. Frizzle speaking" I heard Jake in the background as Keesha was clear as a bell. "Just checking to see when you were heading back into town and wondering if it was OK with you if Wanda spend the night with the two of us?" I heard Keesha ask. "Why of course Keesha! The more the merrier as I always say! Jake hasn't been too much of a handful has he?" "Its been a TOTAL blast being able to watch Jake Mrs. Frizzle!" Keesha responded, much to my relief. " well feel free to invite any of the class over while I am gone, just be sure to keep things clean please I should be back in a day or two" "You got it Mrs Frizzle!" As I ended the call I reflected on the possible horror I potentially released upon my home, then pushed those thoughts aside as I got back into working on the legal affairs that came with my uncle and his funeral.


	11. A Sleepover To Remember

KEESHA'S POV  
"Mrs. Frizzle speaking" I heard the woman on the other end state clear as a bell. "Just checking to see when you were heading back into town and wondering if it was OK with you if Wanda spend the night with the two of us?" I asked Mrs. Frizzle while I heard Jake in the background behind me trying to explain to Wanda and Arnold the basics of some card game. "Why of course Keesha! The more the merrier as I always say! Jake hasn't been too much of a handful has he?" My teacher asked, "Its been a TOTAL blast being able to watch Jake Mrs. Frizzle!" I responded, with a lot of enthusiasm. Mrs. Frizzle sounded almost relieved at my statement " well feel free to invite any or all of the class over for a sleepover while I am gone, just be sure to keep things clean please I should be back in a day or two" I was SOOO happy to hear her say that I almost shouted into the receiver "You got it Mrs. Frizzle!" as I hung up the phone I noticed that the topic of conversation had changed to 'life as the most interesting teacher's kid' it sounded as though Jake was trying to avoid talking about things before moving back to Walkerville. "Hey Everyone, guess what?" I said addressing the rest of the class standing in the living room. Everyone looked at me with sudden interest. "Mrs. Frizzle just told me that while she is going to be gone for another day or so, anyone from the class can stay over as long as we keep the house in a clean state!" I noticed Jake having mixed emotions between super happy and a little worried, but i think he was more excited about more people being around him then his worries of what I assumed was the whole diaper situation. Some of our classmates pulled out their cellphones and called home to see if they could stay overnight as long as they grabbed change of clothes etc. So far it seemed like 3/4 of the class was going to be able to stay overnight. all the boys were a definite YES, while Phoebe and Dorothy Ann were the only girls who were not able to stay due to prior engagements. While everyone went back to their homes to pack, Jake was being productive by helping plan sleeping areas etc. By the time that the evening rolled around, everyone who could sleepover had arrived. Ralphie's mom had insisted on making and packing Meatball Subs and Grinders for everyone (much to Tim and Jake's Excitement). While Jake showed everyone around the house, I heated up the sandwiches and set up Jake's Changing table for multiple kids use as I knew both Arnold and Carlos still wore diapers to bed for bedwetting. No sooner had everyone finished eating, as Jake gave me the silent pleading 'please change me' look.

JAKE'S POV  
Wow! What a day! Keesha had talked to mom and now 3/4 of the class was staying the night! I was super excited but also Nervous because I had no idea how things would progress. While Keesha was on the phone with my mom, the rest of my classmates somehow turned a conversation about basketball and Card games into my life history and what it was like to be the kid of a teacher like Mrs. Frizzle. I was unsure of what to tell them. "So What did you hear?" I asked Carlos "We heard that you had been staying in the Rocky Mountains for over a year" A bell went off in my head as i remembered asking mom about what she told her students before i started school "yea I was in the Rocky Mountains with my Aunt Sarah, it was a lot of fun!"Instead of answering more questions like 'Why were you there?' and other questions I did not feel comfortable answering, i changed the subject of the group towards humor related topics. While some of the kids pushed for answers, for the most part they got the hint that i did not have much to say on the subject. It was then that I noticed Keesha had ended the call with Mrs. Frizzle. "Hey Everyone, guess what?" Keesha said with great excitement addressing the class in the living room. Everyone stopped to listen. "Mrs. Frizzle just told me that while she is going to be gone for another day or so, anyone from the class can stay over as long as we keep the house in a clean state!" I almost had a freak-out moment as I realized two things: 1. mom was letting me have friends sleep over 2. my friends would most likely see me in just diapers at some point. As my fellow classmates pulled out cellphones to check with parents etc. I wondered if mom was secretly punishing me. As that silly thought vanished, I realized that 3/4 of the class was going to be able to stay overnight. While the rest of our class went home to grab a change of clothes, overnight bag etc. I helped Keesha figure out where we were sleeping. We decided on the living room because it was the biggest, and was conveniently located near the first floor bathroom and the kitchen.

By the time we were set up almost the entire class (that could stay over) had arrived. When Ralphie showed up, he had a large box with him. "My mom insisted that she make these Meatball subs and Grinders for us" Ralphie said seeming embarrassed as he handed me the box. "Oh wow! Remind me to thank your mom profusely then, I LOVE a good Grinder" I Exclaimed. Tim Seemed excited about the Meatball Subs. Carlos threw out few 'Thats's what she said' kind of remarks and we all had a good laugh. I showed everyone around the house while Keesha insisted on heating up the sandwiches. i showed them about 75% of the house and i could tell Arnold was really impressed with the library, almost as much as Dorothy Ann would have been. Carlos and Wanda found interest in all the cool artwork and pictures around the house, and Tim was shocked to see a Gold Record on the wall that was listed as the Frizzlettes. "I never knew Mrs. Frizzle was a part of this band! My parents love this music" Tim exclaimed. "From what I was told she started the band." I said. We all re-entered the kitchen and Keesha had heated up the sandwiches for everyone. The group one by one thanked Keesha for heating up the sandwiches that needed heating and we all dug into dinner. By the time dinner was over I realized two things, 1. I was to the point of almost leaking and 2. I REEALLY did not want to embarrass myself in front my friends by asking for a change. I ended up giving Keesha a look that was almost a pleading puppy dog eyes kind of look and thankfully she understood what I was trying to say without me saying it. "Hey Jake? Would you mind helping me grab some things upstairs for the rest of the sleepover?" Keesha asked "Oh, Yea! I almost forgot about that" I replied with a sheepish grin. "You two need help?" Wanda asked us as we started to leave the kitchen area. "No, No, We have it covered" i replied somewhat blushing unknowingly giving away the real reason to heading upstairs. As Keesha and I made our way up to my room I could have sworn I heard them giggling from the kitchen. "I guess no sense in hiding it then" Keesha remarked having heard them as well.

After Keesha helped me get cleaned up and in a fresh diaper, we both headed downstairs to join the group. "You don't have to hid it you know" Wanda said as we entered the living room (apparently they cleaned up the kitchen in that short amount of time) "We all know, you had the same look as Wanda's little brother" Carlos said between giggles. "Sorry everyone, I just don't like consistently reminding everybody that I need them" I said to the group blushing a bit. I pulled out a Nintendo 64 and some games from the cabinet under the TV and hooked it up so we could play some Mario and some Pokemon. We set up in groups of 2 and switched off controllers between everyone. Arnold held the top score in Mario Kart and Wanda showed everyone up in the Crash Bandicoot game. we had a lot of fun. Before we all hit the hay, everyone got their PJs on. As I fell asleep, I couldn't help but think I had the best friends ever!

Morning came just as all mornings do... Chirping of birds and the chatter from all walks of animal life. I was the first one to wake up, so I decided to make breakfast for everyone. I still had the knowledge of 20 years of cooking from my previous life, how hard could it be? I decided on making pancakes, waffles, and crepes. I took about 6 eggs and cracked them into a bowl with flour, baking powder, butter, vanilla, milk, and a bit of water. "Time to make history" I muttered to nobody in particular. I finished the pancake batter and was almost finished with the waffle batter when Arnold Yawned his way into the kitchen. "It's like 6AM, why are you up?" Arnold muttered, still groggy as all heck. "I was making breakfast for everyone... unless you don't want any" I shot back giggling. "no, no, breakfast is a good thing" Arnold muttered back, more awake as he had grabbed a glass of water and was now looking more alive. "Wait, you can cook?" Arnold asked amazed and bewildered. "uh, can't everyone?" I quietly questioned, almost as if I had been caught doing naughty things I shouldn't have been. "Would you teach me some? I can't cook worth a dang"  
Arnold asked me instead of answering the question. I told him I could use some help, and the two of us were almost done cooking everything by the time the rest of our classmates were awake. I saw Arnold light up when I told him I wanted help. Arnold took direction very well and with his assistance, we finished everything, even the dishes right before the rest of our classmates woke up. As the rest of the class stumbled into the kitchen, Arnold was putting a large pitcher of maple syrup on the kitchen table. "what smells so good?" Carlos and Tim both said jinxing themselves. "H-How did you?" Wanda asked Shocked looking at both Arnold and Myself.


End file.
